Oakland Raiders fire general manager Reggie McKenzie

The Oakland Raiders have fired general manager Reggie McKenzie, less than two years after he was named the NFL's executive of the year.

McKenzie was let go from the position he had held for almost seven seasons a day after Oakland beat Pittsburgh 24-21 for their third win of the season.

His status was in doubt ever since coach Jon Gruden was given a 10-year contract last January to take charge of the football operation for the Raiders.

McKenzie's influence had waned since then, with the Raiders cutting ties with several of the players he had acquired, most notably edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper.

"I'm not going to sit up here today and talk about any disconnect," Gruden said. "We were connected. We were very good friends and very connected. I'll leave it at that."

McKenzie was the first major hire made by owner Mark Davis after he took over the team following the death of his father, Al, in 2011.

McKenzie got the team out of salary cap purgatory and built a roster that won 12 games under coach Jack Del Rio in 2016, earning him honours as the league's top executive.

But the Raiders slumped to a 6-10 record last season, leading Davis to fire Del Rio and get Gruden to take the hefty contract after years of courting.

Gruden set out to overhaul the roster, trading away and cutting many of McKenzie's former draft picks.

That accelerated a week before the start of the season when Mack was dealt to Chicago for a package including two first-round picks and then Cooper was dealt in October to Dallas for another first-round pick.

The Raiders struggled this year in Gruden's first year back on the sideline since being fired by Tampa Bay following the 2008 season.

Oakland started the season 1-8 before winning two of the past four games. The Raiders (3-10) are tied with San Francisco and Arizona for the worst record in the league.

With a likely top 10 pick of their own and two other first-rounders this year, along with two first-round picks next year, Gruden likely wanted his own people in place in the personnel departments to make those moves.